Filtration.



E. ZAHM.

FILTRATION.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.zo, 1912.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

o (D l NSB WITNESS/58 COLUMBIA` PLANOPRAPH co.. WAsHlNoroN. D, c.

UNliTE@ Spfril PATENT @FENCE 'EDVARD ZAHVI, OFBUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSGNOR -TO-ZAHM MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, Af UOBPCB/ATIQN-QFNEWfYOR/Kv FILTRATION.

Specification cf Letters; Patent.

iPatented'N om 4,1313.,

, accompanying drawings,.which form a part hereof.

This inventionrelates to the filtration to -sterility of beer and other similar liquids in filters in which the beer or other liquid is `forced iindera considerable pressure difterential through a lter body or filter bodies of such a: nature as to prevent the passage i of suspended mattei' which is permitted to `pass through filter bodies ordinarily employed in the treatment of beer. in another application, Serial No. 616,231, filed March i22, 1911, there is sho-wn and described a filter of the class referred to, such filter com- .f risingl a number of filter bodies or cores of L? infusorial earth, the invention coveied `in that vapplication being concerned particularly` with the regulation of the pressure. It is found that in the-continued operation of such filters the pressure dierential increases so as to render frequent cleaning of the filter necessary. Notwithstanding the cleaning of the filter bywasliing and brushing it is fo-iind. that the filter bodies gradually become clogged so that the pressure differential under which the beeris forced through the iltei' is gradually increased. `This is believed to be due to the penetration of the filter bodies by: matter which-remains in .suspension at the relatively low temperature of the beer lat the time of filtration, such suspended matter consistingof nitrogenous v.bodies which remain in suspension at the comparatively low temperature but are solubleat highery temperatures. The penetration of the fil-ter bodies by the suspended .initrogenous bodies is retarded by the uniformdepositionof loose lter material upon the surface of the filter bodies, such loose filter material retaining many ofthe suspended bodies of all kinds and being washed on" from timeto time with the retained suspended bodies,while the removal from the filter bodies of the nitrogenous suspended `bodies which mayhave penetrated the filter bodies is accomplished by raising the vtemperature in the presence of a-cleansing liqfuid, such as sterilized water, so that such nitiogenous suspended-bodies are dissolved and washed out in a state of solution.

The invention `will be more fully Y explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated and in which- ,Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and ,partly in section, of a filter of` oo nvenient construction in which the invention is embodied. l1`ig.s2 isa detailyview in section, on` a larger scale,of one of theV filter`r cores. iFigs. 3 and A IAare detail views, in longitudinal section andl transverse section respectively, of the-.mixer for loosefilter Y material shown ingFig.; l.

The filter shown inthe drawings com-- prises a shell b1, fitted .with removable heads or end plates-b2v and?)3 and provided with a fixed transverse wall D* ,which forms within Vthe shell a receiving chamber vb5 andadischarge chamber 0G. .The transverse wall bt is formedof impermeable materialand supports the filter Vcores c, one of which vis shown in detail in Fig. 2. V'As there shown ,it comprises ,afilter tube c1 formed of infusorial earth and closedlat one'end, while t-lie otherv end is tightly,k secured to a rhead c2 provided with a hollow stein c3 which is passed through the wallor plate of, receivingon the discharge side of the -plate a nut c4 Vwhich the core is held tightly in place, suitable packing, not necessary to be shown, beingxprovided tovmake a tightljoint. The beer is delivered to the' filter through a pipe a3 from a .pump a4 or any. other suitablel soiircecf supply under pressure andfirst passes through regulator, described and shown in said application, and. thence, by a pipe c, el, tothe receiving chamber bofthe filter. Under suitable lpressure the'vbeer', is

forced through the walls of ,theKfilter'coresV .into the interiorl thereof, carryingjwith, it

so-me of the suspended bodiesMand thence through, the h ollowfstems, 'c3' intol the idischarge chamber be. From t-he latter passes through aA pipe e2, thence through a regulator Z, also described and shownj in detail insaid application, and thence through a pipe epreferably providedwit-hafstop cock c? and a sight glass e5, to the bottling machine oi' elsewhere as may be desired/ In order to prevent the disruption of 4the gas which is in solution in the beer before it passes through the. lter,; the necessary predetermined `Pressure fis maintained on the flo discharge side of the filter, as fully described in said application, by the regulator Z, while the inflow of beer to the filter is regulated by the regulator (Z, the action of which is controlled by the pressure on the discharge.

it is not necessary to explain herein the cmistruction and operation of the regulators (Z and Z, since they form no part of the present invention, but in view of the relation of the parts now to be mentioned to the present invention it will be explained herein, as in said application, that a sight glass t, provided with a vent cock h1 and pressure gage h2 and a shut-0E coclr h3 is connected to the highest point of the supply or receiving chamber b5 of the filter, as shown clearly in Fig. l, and that a sight glass t', providedwith a vent cock 1, a pressure gage 2 and a shut off cock 'is is connected to the highest point of the discharge chamber be as also shown in said figure, while a source of gas under pressure, as indicated by a pipe 7c and the pressure reducing valve 701 may be connected to either or both of the chambers b5 and b through the shut-od cocks its and f3. A cock a5 is preferably provided in the pipe a3.

In order that the penetration of suspended bodies into the filter bodies, during the continued use of the filter, may be retarded, provision is made for the uniform deposition on the surface of the filterl cores c of a quantity of loose filter material, so that such loose .filter material may collect and retain the greater part of the suspended bodies which are to be filtered out of the beer and may be removed from time to time by simply washing out the filter, thereby permitting the cores to be used for a much longer time than would otherwise be possible without becoming clogged to such an extent as to require removal and cleansing. The de vices provided for the introduction of such loose filter material comprise a mixing vessel m, in which the loose filter material may be mixed with a portion of the beer under suitable conditions, particularly without loss of gas in the beer with which the filter material is mixed and in such a manner as to insure uniform deposit of the loose filter material on the surface of the filter bodies,

Vand connections by which the mixture of beer and loose filter material may be discharged under perfect control into the fiow of beer toward the filter, so that the loose filter material shall be distributed uniformly over the surface of the filter cores. Any suitable form of mixer may be employed for the purpose. That shown consists of a cylindrical vessel in which is mounted a shaft m1 provided with arms or paddles m2 and with a handle m3 by which the loose filter material, which is introduced through a capped opening mt, may be mixed with beer which is admitted to the vessel m and thereafter forced into the filter. The vessel fm is preferably provided. with a sight glass mf and is connected at its bottom. by a pipe m with the pipe e, el, through which the beer flows into the filter, the pipe m prefer-` abl having` a siOht @lass m7 and a sto cock LJ 23 D ms. At its top the vessel m is connected by i a pipe m with the source of supply of gas Linder pressure, being conveniently oonnecti ed foi. this purpose to the pipe 7c. After the filter chamber b5 has been filled. with beer,

into the vessel an, is agitated with the beer until a uniform mixture is obtained. Gras under pressure above that on the beer m the chamber b5 is then admitted to the ves-` sel m by manipulation by the regulator 701 and the cock m8 is opened so that the mixture of beer and filter material is discharged slowly from the vessel m into the filter y chamber b5 through the pipes m6 and e1.

lt is important to note that in order to secure a uniform distribution of the loose filter material on the surface of all of the filter bodies, only a. small portion of the beer flows from the mixer and then only under perfect control, such portion of the beer with the loose filter material being thereafter added to the beer without the loose filter material which flows directly intor the filter through the pipe c. The operation of filtering is therefore being carried on prior to and at the same time with the addition of the loose filtering material so that as the beer without the loose filter material is flowing constantly into the inlet chamber b5, the loose filter material mixed with a small portion of the beer is also carried slowly into the inlet chamber b5, under perfect regulation, and is deposited uniformly on the surface of the filter cores.

Then the operation of filtering has been carried on for a period of time, as for a day, the operation of filtering is discontinued, the head b3 is removed and the loose filter material, with the retained suspended bodies, is washed from the filter cores with a hose. The filter cores or bodies may be brushed While they are in place or, if necessary, they may be removed and brushed. It is to be noted, however, that notwithstanding the" protection of the filter bodies or cores by the loose filter material some of the suspended bodies penetrate the filter bodies and gradu ally clog them. Therefore it is desirable to remove from the filter bodies such suspend- 'ed bodies as may have penetrated them and this is accomplished, after the operation of filtering has been Adiscontinued and the loose filter material has been washed off, by forcing through the filter a suitable liquid, pref` erably sterilized Water, which is gradually raised to a temperature sufiicient to cause the nitrogenous suspended bodies Which have penetrated the filter bodies to be dissolved and carried through the filter bodies With the Water. The Water may be raised to a temperature higher than that Which is necessary to dissolve the nitrogenous suspended bodies for the purpose of effectually killing the yeast oeils and other micro-organisms and thus insure complete sterility of the apparatus. f

In order to avoid an undesirable increase of the resistance of the ilter as Well as an increase of the operating expense the quantity of loose nlter material depositedon the filter bodies should be as small as is consistent with eectiveness and it is therefore specially desirable to secure uniform distribution of such loose filter material. This is accomplished by the apparatus described.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination With a filter7 of a supply pipe, a container for loose filter material independent of the supply pipe, connections through Which a portion of the liquid to be iiltered may be admitted to the container and through which the mixture of liquid and loose filter material may be discharged into the filter, and means independent of the liquid supply to force the mixture of liquid and loose filter material from the container into the filter.

2. The combination With a filter, of a supply pipe, a container independent of the supply pipe to receive loose filter material, connections through which a portion of the liquid to be filtered may b-e admitted to the container and through which the mixture of liquid and loose filter material may be discharged into the filter, and connections from thel top of the container to a supply of gas under pressure by which the mixture of liquid and loose filter material may be forced from the container into the filter.

This speciiication signed and witnessed` Signed in the presence o- THEO. L. Porr, ANNA Hnrers.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. 

